


Reading Every Sign

by BessieBlackbird



Category: Disney - All Media Types, Moana (2016)
Genre: Adventure, Against all odds, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Butterflies, Complete, Crying, Developing Relationship, Disney, Eventual Fluff, Eventual Romance, F/M, Fanservice, Finished, Fluff, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Humor, Indecision, Life-changer, Perfect Storm, ROMANCE with all caps, Romance, Suspense, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, demigod - Freeform, feel good, getting super close to the good stuff, love love love, mutual respect, protect her, protector - Freeform, staytuned, subtle, this story keeps me up at night, violent weather, what am I even doing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-09
Updated: 2017-11-30
Packaged: 2018-12-25 20:39:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 14,087
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12043857
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BessieBlackbird/pseuds/BessieBlackbird
Summary: After 5 years apart, Maui drops in for a visit (literally) and makes a major announcement, shaking up Moana's world. Again. A tale of intimacy, friendship, and maybe something more.COMPLETE





	1. Really?

Moana finally felt like she was complete. 

She existed only on the water with her people and her canoes, her two greatest loves, sailing from island to island on her oldest (and largest) friend. Most days she was a blur, bouncing around the wooden structure like she was born way-finding. The satisfaction of her ancestors thundered through her veins as she shared this ancient way with her people and her parents. It had become her greatest joy. 

The only blot on this spotless, happy time was the unexpected hero-worship that came with it. The existence of certain past events involving several deities and the fate of the world meant that her people were already raising her pedestal higher than the tallest mast in their fleet. 

It only made her slightly (extremely) uncomfortable. But whenever she would protest, more than a dozen voices would shrewdly remind her that she had so nobly saved the world, which isn't something many people could say they had done. 

The only argument within reach to throw back at them, every time, was that she had not done so alone. 

It had surprised her when she first saw Maui gliding alongside their boat with a wink. She couldn't help the warmth and pride that bloomed, down to her very toes, that her friend could see her in all her glory among the people she had fought so hard to save- the same people now wagging their tongues across canoes without caring who heard. 

The ocean birds were their first eavesdroppers and everyone knows that ocean birds are the biggest blabbermouths of them all- a perfect launchpad for a new legend, especially a reluctant one. They eagerly passed the story on to the fish and the whales who then spread it across rest of the great ocean. Eventually, it trickled all the way down into Lolotai. Monsters can't resist a good story, but then again, neither can the gods. 

Of course, Moana had no idea of any of this. She was living a simple, perfect life on the water… Until things decided to change again. 

The sun was high and shining warmly on her contented face. It was already mid-day and she looked down fondly at her lunching charges. Her favorite spot to be, by far, was the tip of the mast where she could hang by a thread and see for miles, where the wind boxed her ears and tossed her salty hair in wild tangles. 

On her sun-kissed back sat a great, intricate hawk stretching from shoulder to shoulder and if you looked closely enough at this brand new tattoo, you'd see the hook on it’s wing. If you looked even closer and squint your eyes a bit, you'd the crack running through it. Maui against all odds- the way she always wanted to remember him. 

A shrill voice from below suddenly called her name and Moana shimmied back down the mast in a hurry. Her feet landed on the deck with a loud and resounding thud... too loud. 

She was about to ask what needed her attention but the question died on its way out. The entire boat of people were just staring at her (or past her) with their mouths open and their eyes as wide as the moon. Only her mother wore a curious smile and only her father ventured to point just over her shoulder, looking more amazed than Moana had ever seen him. 

She finally dared to venture a cautious peek over her shoulder and almost passed right out. The all-too familiar smirk widened. 

“Hey kid, long time, no see.” 

Her heart wheezed, “Maui!” 

Shocked whispers rippled across the fleet at the fabled name, now clearing his throat to speak, only to be cut off by the chief himself and with far too much formality. 

“Maui, demigod of the wind and sea-“

“Hero to all..” Moana helpfully cut in. This earned her another warning look from Tui's endless supply. 

He continued with great solemnity, “You favor us with your presence. To what do we owe this honor?” 

Maui smiled wider and, to Moana's surprise, responded with even more formality than her dad. “I come bearing a message for the great way finder who bore Maui across the sea and restored the heart of Te Fiti.” 

His serious tone certainly did not match the playful voice she remembered so well. 

Things were starting to feel pretty strange, which was definitely saying a lot. Of course Moana was glad to see her old friend but.. this weird speech was too much. He was just as bad as the rest of the village with all of that fuss. 

He continued, quite dramatically, “Your tale has traveled far and wide, from the grateful mouth of Motunui to the ears of the ocean and beyond.” 

A confused smile slid across her stiff face. “What?” 

He ignored her and continued, if possible, smiling wider, “I come bearing a gift. Moana, you are to be the Demigod of way-finding, to lead your people and all people for as long as the stars light your way.” 

She was beyond speechless. What did that even mean? 

Maui’s shoulders immediately deflated with relief and a whoosh, “Man, I'm glad that's over. How was the delivery on that?” he asked Tui, who in that moment didn’t know where to point his amazement. 

With the gigantic, goofy demigod acting like his old self again, Moana unclenched and felt herself relax a little. She smiled at him. 

“It’s good to see you, Maui.” 

He smiled back with all the warmth she remembered, “Yeah, you too curly. It’s been way too long.” Then, he walked over and squeezed a few breathless giggles right out of her. 

The amazed village, witnessing an actual deity on their boat for the first time, were having trouble containing themselves. They had barely noticed an unassuming beetle flitting from boat to boat, unusual enough on the open ocean, but they didn't know what unusual was until this huge man had popped out of the air and dropped on top of them! 

They hadn’t expected the hero of Moana's stories to be so very big and, truth be told, some hadn’t expected him to be there at all, just a legend for the speaking hut. All of them watched together as the immortal among them excitedly lifted that dumb chicken and whooped.

Moana was rubbing her arm nervously, “Do I have to?” 

Maui straightened, still holding Heihei, “Well.. no. It's a gift. I mean, even the gods let me think about it for a while when they gave me my hook.” 

Tui and Sina approached their daughter with some concern. She'd slipped into a stupefied coma. 

Maui smirked again, “Don’t worry about her, she always does this when she’s face to face with greatness.” 

She went from dazed to supremely irked so fast, he almost didn't have time to snort in her face. He pointed west, “There’s a small island there where you can resupply and do some thinking. You should get there by dawn.” 

And before she could say ‘don’t tell me what to do’, he lifted his hook in the air and the biggest hawk anyone had ever seen took to the sky and shot away. She threw a shell at his shrinking form. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow. I can’t believe this just jumped out of me. Then again, I did watch Moana 4 times in 2 days.  
> This thing already has a mind of it’s own. Hope you like it and thanks for reading.


	2. Long Time, No See

The island was (infuriatingly) right where Maui said it would be and they reached it exactly when he said they would. Moana would have been surprised by her own enthusiasm to step onto dry land if she wasn't so keenly aware of the boat full of curious villagers she was trying to escape. Like a certain demigod she could mention, these villagers didn't seem to know the meaning of personal space. 

Thankfully, there was nothing but distractions waiting for them on the island. Or so she thought. 

It didn't take them long to find a relatively sustainable grove of coconut trees a couple of miles inland. Everyone spent the day harvesting supplies for the night, setting up camp and interrogating their deity-to-be. They hurled so many questions at her that by noon, her insanely short fuse had all but run out and all she wanted to do was steal a canoe and head straight for that beloved horizon-line as fast as she could. 

...But it was noon. And a day of work meant a day of work. 

The rest of her time in that horrible purgatory crawled by like a dying turtle- with the sun laughing in her face every time she looked up to check its progress. 

When dusk finally came, she ran. 

Not once all day had there been any sign of a giant hawk in the sky. No beetle landed on her shoulder and no horribly surprising man with a shark head jumped out of the water to scare the coconuts out of her. Not that she had been watching for him or anything. After all, she was supposed to be thinking. 

And when she finally reached the water, her first thought was _What the hell?!_

There's no sign of that stupid shapeshifter for five doggone years and now he shows up out of the blue with.. with this?! This was HUGE! 

So, the gods had chosen to bring her into their little club. What did that even mean? She knew exactly one demigod and all that told her was how big her ego would probably get if she said yes. 

A million, incoherent thoughts ran through her head in circles and after a while, so did she. Hours of intense pondering had left a perfect ring in the sand and she stopped for the first time in an hour to admire her handiwork, letting out a blustering sound. 

That's when an idea hit her. (A very good idea.) It was the first one all day that was worth trying out.

She ran to the edge of the water, eyes alight and full of hope. The quiet waves lapped against her aching, sandy feet. It was the kind of clear and perfect night where the moon would shine on her fondest memories of being out there- learning how to measure the stars, coached in the ancient craft by the wind and sea himself. 

_It's called way-finding, Princess. It's seeing where you're going in your mind._

Moana took a deep breath. It had been years...

 _Knowing where you are by knowing where you've been._

“....ocean?” she called softly. She watched the lone word float across the silent bay all alone. Since when was she so timid? 

She tried again, with a little more punch this time. “Ocean?” 

Still nothing. 

She actually pouted, not expecting her hopes to be dashed so quickly. 

It's not like she hadn’t ever thought about not seeing it again, but every time that particular thought intruded on her day she would banish it as quickly as it had surfaced. It was way too depressing to entertain for longer than a few seconds. Now here she was, the unpleasant thought replaced with an unpleasant reality and no way to handle the disappointment that came with it. 

A huge sigh wilted her droopy little shoulders and she sunk to the ground with a splash, cross-legged in the surf. She tried very hard to focus on the simple feeling of the water and to remind herself that it was here as it always had been, if it never spoke again. The melancholy continued to rise anyway, like the tide flowing around her legs and with every passing second it grew harder to keep at bay.

Just as she was accepting defeat and mere seconds before she rose to leave, a hypnotic thrum pulsed through the bay and across her oldest memory, laced with sparks of magic. It hit her knees and she sprung to her feet. 

“Ocean!” her voice rang out in happiness. If she could have hugged the glowing tower of water in front of her, she would have. She almost tried anyway as it danced from side to side, just as excited as she was. If she didn't know any better, she'd swear it was returning the brilliant smile lighting up her face. 

"It's so, so, so good to see you." she gushed. It twirled happily in response. 

Unable to keep the question from jumping out of her, she raised an eyebrow at her friend. “Did you hear?” 

Keeping up the excitement momentum, sprays of giddy water immediately shot into the air from both sides of its form, clearly beside itself at the prospect of keeping its chosen one around forever. Moana couldn’t contain a snort and a giggle, glad to see someone had made up their mind about all of this. 

She sat back down and settled in for the heart to heart she so desperately needed. She dove in, head first. “Yeah. I’m honored but... scared." she admitted, "Okay, I'm really scared. I mean... immortality?” 

A nod. 

“So, I'd outlive... everyone." 

Another nod. It cocked its wave-head innocently to the side as if this fact didn't make the god-awful decision even harder. She’d never had to think past her own lifetime before and the very idea of it was freaking her out. She swallowed back the panic rising in her throat. 

The ocean undulated forward and leaned in close, like it was about to dish an amazing secret in her ear. 

Then something in the rippling stream caught Moana's eye. She held out her hand and let her fingers close around it. The smooth, pink conch it had gently placed in her grasp almost made her cry. 

“You know," she whispered with misty eyes, "when I think about forever, it doesn’t seem so scary with you there."

Delighted waves crashed and swirled, lifting her up with more emotion than a body of water should be able to express- probably the closest thing to an embrace it could find. She smiled and patted the loving current around her waist. Who knew a body of water could be so adorable? This kind of wonderful magic had become such a natural aspect to her life and yet, she hoped she'd never get used to it, no matter how long she lived. 

The magic came to an immediate and unexpected halt when a familiar voice suddenly called out from the trees, shattering the moment. Moana found herself dunked in the water as the ocean fell flat into hiding. Sputtering in surprise, she pushed the tangled mass of her hair away from her face to see who had disturbed them. Who else could it be but her mother, the woman with an uncanny knack for appearing out of thin air in a crisis, standing at the edge of the beach with her hands on her hips. 

“It’s a little late for a swim.” Sina hollered with a teasing lilt to her voice, adding cheerfully when her daughter was closer, “I thought you could use some company.”

Moana waddled onto shore- soaked, stressed, and coughing out a lung, “Well... you’re not wrong.” 

She laid down next to her mother, who had made herself quite comfortable in the sand just out of reach of the foamy waves of low-tide. They worked together to pick the seaweed from her snarled mop and effectively avoid the topic of conversation that had led them both to the waters' edge. 

Eventually, Moana squeezed her eyes shut and sighed, quite dramatically, throwing the most pitiful look she could muster at her unexpected companion. She couldn't help but throw in a whine with it. “I wish I knew what to do.” 

Sina threw her head back and let out a merry laugh, "No one ever does."

Her daughter huffed, "Thanks a lot..." she mumbled, her words dripping with sarcasm. The next quip on her tongue was stilled by the tender, understanding hand Sina placed on her cheek. 

She was laughing softly, “I wish I could offer more help than that... but remember- you’re the only one who can choose what path to take. We learned that lesson years ago, didn’t we?” 

Moana snorted in spite of herself but fell quiet when her mother pressed their foreheads together with great affection. 

“I always knew you’d do wondrous things, my little minnow.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y’all, it is difficult as hell for an anthropomorphic body of water to emote through WORDS. Wtf. 
> 
> I love that ocean, though. 
> 
> As always, thanks for reading.


	3. Here You Go

It had been hours since she started pacing. The sun sailed across the blue until it shined like fire on the surface of the water, dancing from cloud to cloud in a hundred different shades pink. 

Those last rays of sunlight reached out for her with their long, bright fingers and clutched her heart, squeezing out an... _unexpected_ pang of longing. 

For Motunui, of all things. 

Unwanted might be a better word for it with all her thoughts still in an awful jumble about this immortality business. On this near identical island, memories of her childhood home only darkened the sky. The past five days had brought no solution to her quandary and, speaking for herself, she was ready to go postal right there on the beach. 

Five freaking days. Stuck on a nameless rock. And still no Maui. 

“I hope Tamatoa eats you.” she mumbled, kicking the sand with a bare foot. Whenever he finally did decide to show up, Moana was gonna punch him right in his stupid face. Twice. 

Even worse, since he left, no one in the village could seem to make up their minds about anything. Their stance on the whole situation kept wriggling out of her grasp like a slippery fish- giving her space then holding her tight enough to squeeze her eyeballs out, so proud to be sending her off then wanting desperately for her to stay. And yet, not one piece of friendly advice made it past the gossip still foaming from their mouths, giving even more momentum to the whole ugly stressball. 

What was she supposed to do with that?

Her parents were no better, teetering between confusion and exasperation, then finally diving headfirst into profound uselessness. Even her sympathetic mother had taken to avoiding her for a couple of days now, maybe to give her space or maybe just to evade the temper that was becoming famous for its ridiculously short fuse. 

With what little consideration she had left at the end of the day, Moana somehow always managed to drag her vexation to the beach before the bomb went off. The sunsets were breathtaking and the explosions were loud. 

“Aaaaaugh!!!!” she screamed into the void at the top of her lungs- knees bent, fists clenched. This was the end of her daily routine where she slammed her hand onto the reset button. Volume was inconsequential when no one cared to listen or reply- until today, when someone did. 

“ _Cheeehoooooo_!!!” 

Her gaze flew toward the horizon, eyebrows hitting the sky. 

No. Way. 

She smiled at what she saw coming up over the horizon- a sight for sore eyes if ever there was one- in all his stupid glory. 

Not a whale, a shark or a hawk and definitely not a beetle. Nothing but the great, fat head of the demigod Maui silhouetted against the evening sun, a taut rope in one hand and waving furiously at her with the other. He bounded over the reef, past its violent swells with practiced ease and, amid the spray of the sea, he flashed her that cocky, self-assured grin that was pure Maui. 

She squinted at him and realized with a happy jolt that she recognized the tiny craft under his feet. Her canoe! Well, _their_ canoe... She smiled wider. The final member of their crew, moored on Motunui for years, wouldn't be missing out on things anymore. 

Unable to contain herself (or wait another second), she let out an ecstatic whoop and dove headfirst into the water, swimming out to meet him as fast as she could. It's too bad she was slowest swimmer on Motunui (reason #25 why she preferred canoes). Thank goodness for everyone that the impatient current yanked her underwater exactly one second later and shot her forward like a dart. Before she knew what was happening, her gawky body splashed onto the deck, all elbows, laughing so hard she got water up her nose. 

And as she sputtered, Maui’s jovial, familiar belly-laugh was the greatest sound she’d ever heard. His huge hands threw her into the air, catching her in a wet, crushing hug. "What's up, buttercup?!" 

She hugged him back with all she had. 

“Missed you, Mo.” he gushed with unusual emotion, not caring at all that he was now as soaked as she was. 

“Missed you too, Maui.” 

She couldn't help giggling when Mini Maui greeted her eagerly with a poke to the shoulder, but her bubbly giggles cut off with a gasp when she suddenly found herself spun around so quick, her hair smacked her in the face. 

He was teasing now and Moana froze where she stood, holding her breath. 

"The baby got her first tattoo? I gotta see this.” 

The baby with her first tattoo was way less steady than the hand that brushed against the great hawk with surprising care, slowly running along the length of each wing reaching over her shoulders. He was being so careful. And she was still holding her breath. 

“…It’s me.” he breathed, amazed. Reverent.

Moana's flaming cheeks turned up in a smile. “Don’t let it go to your head.” 

Then, she turned on her heel and almost knocked him over backwards. It bolstered her courage enough to timidly ask, “Do… ya like it?” 

He steadied himself and stomped away with his back to her, jumping up to climb the mast. “It’s ok.” 

Under the cover of the darkening sky, he pretended to inspect the waking stars but Moana was watching his ears go through seven bashful shades of red. Mini Maui wiped a tear from his eye, obviously moved. 

She tried her best to hide another giggle. Brown eyes slanted her way when she failed. And snorted.

That's when the boat lurched to the side and she toppled forward, landing right on her nose. Karma was a little more punctual than she would have thought. She wisely chose to ignore the patronizing chortle coming from his direction and instead took charge of her canoe. In no time at all, she was lost in the memories living in the twists of rope and wooden boards of the deck. Everywhere she laid her hands she touched another one. She played them on the big screen in her brain, one major motion picture after another. Her first time on the open sea. Her first storm. Her first adventure. 

With her steady hand at the rudder and her smile facing the wind, they sailed across the bay. By the time they ran aground, she was outshining the stars. 

The sand was still warm when they touched down and she ran a loving hand along the side of the surprise gift she couldn't take her eyes off. 

“Did you go all the way to Motunui for this?” She was genuinely curious (and appreciative) but at the same time, she was giving him the barest hint of a look that said _'This better be what took you so long'._

Maui gave it a pat and smirked at her, obviously pleased with himself. 

“Sure did. I thought the demigod of way-finding could use a canoe.” 

His choice of words dropped an anvil dropped on her heart. Good grief, that sounded strange. His premature assumption neatly gathered all of the weeks anxiety into a fine point. Demigod of way-finding... was that really her? Dear god, not yet.

Her brooding must have been written all over her face because Maui gave her shoulder a playful shove. “C'mon, Curly. What’s that face for?” 

“I don't know.. It's just-” She paused, not knowing how to articulate the fact that she didn't know how to feel about any of this. (Even though she really knew exactly how to feel.) (Terrified.) 

Maui stepped forward and closed the distance between them, “What is it?” he asked. She had to lean away, suddenly reminded that when Maui got serious, he plumb forgot what personal space was. It was one of those special traits that was both endearing and annoying at the same time. 

“I don't know if I want to do it!” she blurted from the corner he'd backed her into. 

He looked taken aback and that made her feel slightly bad-she hadn't even considered that he might not have a clue about her daily torment. Feeling each puff of breath from his mouth and unable to take his intense eye contact for another second, she looked away at literally anything else. 

The stars shone some help onto her and she fake-studied them, suddenly finding it difficult _not_ to think about how long they'd been there. Even the breeze was whispering in her ear about the day it lost to Maui, thousands of years before. 

She searched the night sky and began to see the interminable road ahead of her. It was empty and bleak. Was his road like this too?

She couldn't help but ask. "How old are you, Maui?” 

He followed her gaze skyward and shrugged, “Honestly, I forgot. It’s been a while since I lost track.” 

Interesting. “What's that been like?” 

He shrugged. 

She peered at him. “Lonely?” 

Understanding lit his face and he huffed, offering a grudging nod. Moana heaved a dramatic sigh. 

They stood together in silence for a while, watching the glittering backdrop and listening to the rhythmic slosh of the water- neither knowing what to say. 

Then, Maui’s stomach grumbled loud enough to shake the coconuts from the trees and she lost herself to helpless laughter. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A whole chapter is way too long to go without some Maui in the mix. 
> 
> A special thanks to those that have left comments or feedback. Y’all are the best. 
> 
> Stay tuned for more demigod angst and a slow burn of all kinds of feelings. 
> 
> As always, thanks for reading.


	4. Temper, temper

There had never been a snore louder than the one that yanked Maui from a surprisingly sound sleep that morning. He blinked against the sun and stretched out like a starfish on his blanket of warm sand. Who needs a hammock when you've got the beach? 

Another blasting snore came out of the tiny nose still sleeping nearby and he could’t stop the cheeky, gap-tooth grin that brightened his face at the sight of her. Moana was curled protectively around the half-eaten coconut she'd started last night. One more snore and she managed to wake herself up with a start. 

His deep chuckle turned her head. “Morning, Princess.”

All the sand caked onto one side of her face couldn't stop the look she shot at him. It broke into an impressive yawn. 

Maui found himself enjoying this tranquil morning until Moana squinted up at the sun and shrieked, throwing her coconut prize at his head. 

He caught it easily with one hand right before it smacked into his clueless mouth. “What wrong with you!?” 

“I’m LATE.” 

“Late?” he teased around a mouthful of coconut, “Late for what?” .

A pile of sand gathered at her feet as she dusted off. “There's a meeting today to talk about leaving. It’s been almost a week and we need to get back out there.”

Maui leaned forward and raised a knowing eyebrow at her, “We?”

She groaned. “Me.” 

He knew it. It also belatedly occurred to him (right after he rolled his eyes) that maybe, just maybe, it had taken longer than he anticipated to sail her surprise gift all the way back to her. Maybe (just maybe) he had held things up. That ocean junkie couldn’t stand to be on dry land for more than a few days and she was well past her quota. _Whoops._

She was already turning to walk away but paused and he braced himself for the guilt trip he saw coming down the pike. 

But she only stared at him expectantly. “Aren’t you coming?” 

Oh man... that was worse than a guilt trip. She asked him like it was obvious he should follow her into this village of unknown terrors. He was pretty sure that his name was only just now dashed from the village blacklist. He'd wait a little longer before strolling so pleasantly into that minefield. 

Pass. 

“Not my thing.” 

He tossed his head back down with a sandy thud, pointedly closing his eyes. He could almost hear her teeth grinding before that little weasel grabbed his year and yanked him back up again. 

“It’s your thing, today!” she corrected him cheerfully. 

"Nice try, but no. 

Her voice turned sickeningly sweet. He could see it coming a mile away. 

"You know, it's okay if you're nervous." 

He looked up at her face, plastered with that pompous, self-congratulatory look she gets when she knows she’s pushing a button. She was several centuries away from being able to make that face at him. 

“Little girl- I am not nervous.” 

“Could’ve fooled me.” 

Fine, he'd play along. A gratifying yelp escaped Moana's smug face when she was pulled off her feet as he stood up to his full height. He huffed and peeled the exasperating barnacle away. 

“Fine.." he conceded, "if it’ll shut you up.”

The barnacle crossed her arms and actually managed to look even more smug than before but he followed her down the path anyway. He sent up a prayer that she wouldn't turn around at any point on their walk because if she did, she would see him practicing the worse smile she'd ever see. There's no way she'd miss it. It was supposed to be his social smile but it was embarrassingly rusty and kept morphing into a deformed grimace against his will. 

Thankfully, she was too busy with her own babbling to even notice. 

—----------------

Inside the camp, Maui's grimace was starting to twitch. True, it was a hotter day than normal but that wasn't the reason he was sweating buckets. A worst case scenario was hitting Moana's rosy world like a truck and he'd never forget the look on her face as he watched her parents deliver the "good" news. 

“You see,” they told her, smiling innocently, dropping the bomb. “we're all going to stay!”

Yikes. 

It was more fun than Maui would ever admit (to her) to watch Moana freak out, her face as red as a tomato. Honestly though, what was the big deal? That was half the fun of finding a new island. Or so he'd been told... He'd spent so much time pulling those islands from the sea but never got to stick around for all the fun that came when the voyaging canoes showed up. Setting up Motunui 2.0 sounded like a doggone party. 

So why was her face getting _that_ red? He'd never seen panic like this- not Moana of Motunui, thank you very much. Was this really the same girl who'd whacked him across the head with an oar and dragged him by his ear across the world? 

_Oh...._

Clarity dawned on him as he found he could almost see the old, familiar cage that had trapped her for a second time and the wounded heart that was railing against it.

The first time, it took an actual life or death situation to work up the guts for her escape. Would she let it hold her this time? 

_That's a no.._ he thought as he watched her crank up the volume. A large knot of uneasiness was setting up camp in the pit of his stomach. Panic was one thing but her temper was starting to kick in with it and he was super sure that yelling at the chief was not a good thing. Hee had to admit though, watching the two volcanoes try to out-blast each other, it was very easy to see where her temper came from. Their faces were even the same shade of red. Cute.

He officially had to snap her out of it. Friends don't let friends freak out, right? Amazingly, he realized he knew exactly what he needed to do. 

Maui dropped his large hand onto Moana's shoulder, anchoring them together and bringing the scream-fest to a screeching halt. Father and daughter blinked at him, too stunned to speak. 

Unfortunately, it was Moana who found her voice first and she used it to snap at him, “What?” 

He lowered his head to rumble in her ear, “Can I have a word with you?” 

Somehow, that fueled her anger. “'Have a word’?” she said as he turned to go, volume rising. “Who talks like that!?”

He heaved a blustery sigh- at least she wasn't panicking anymore. His skin was thick enough to ignore the attitude she was starting to hurl at him and he would have continued ignoring- if not for a sudden, wicked thought. He spun around and raised an eyebrow down at the stubborn thing, mischief written all over his face as realization dawned on hers. 

She backed up, pointing a warning finger at him (in vain), ”No. No.. _No_! You stay away from me!"

It's amazing how easily he was able to yank her off the ground and toss her over his shoulder like an angry bunch of bananas yelling profanities at him. In no time, he was skipping down the trail to the beach, leaving every unpleasant bit of their tempestuous confrontation behind them, laughing at each wriggling escape attempt. 

He had personally chased every ounce of tension away and he reveled in his success, completely unaffected by the stubborn indignation coming off of Moana in waves. She'd been left with no other option than to prop her chin up with her hand and stare passingly at the trees- with no small amount of sass. 

When he finally dropped her, she threw all of it in his face. "What was that?!" 

He barely heard her because he'd already left her in the dust, speed walking down the beach at top speed. She let out a frustrated yell and ran after him, kicking up her own sandy, angry cloud. Maui, himself, was still rather impressed with his own brilliant insight but her temper was still flaring and that was a problem. He knew very well how painful a barb from an angry Moana could be when she flared her brightest- barbs that were currently bouncing off his back as they walked. She needed to calm down before they got into TeKa territory. 

He stopped abruptly and she slammed into his solid back with an "oof!". They'd reached the canoe she hadn’t even noticed they were headed for. 

“Get on.” he ordered with no room for argument. 

Smoke billowed out of her ears and he had to stop himself from laughing- that would make her blow a fuse for sure. Keeping his best serious face intact, he tried again. “Get on or I throw you on.”

One almost-escape attempt was all she got. In a flash, he made good on his promise. He grabbed her, threw the fireball onto the damn canoe and pushed off before Moana even knew which way was up. It wasn't long before the canoe began to dip and bow as the water got choppy close to the reef. The spray hit his face and he smiled- things were a lot rougher than he expected. 

Perfect. 

In the next instant, Maui dropped everything and dove off of the canoe. 

The last thing he saw before going under was the open mouth on Moana's shocked face. Totally worth the swim. 

Feeling exceedingly clever in the wake of his perfectly executed plan, he watched her scramble for control over the rocking boat. It wasn't easy with all the violent waves breaking onto her head. He could barely hear her cursing his name as he lazily made his way back to the beach. He stepped onto the sand just in time to see her glide over the reef with skill and confidence like the master she was.

—-------

Another gloriously painted sky stretched from one end of the horizon to the other. Moana had disappeared beyond that line hours ago, along with the trail of angry smoke billowing behind her. 

Maui treated himself to a satisfying stretch and hopped to his feet from his prime napping spot. Grabbing his hook, he tapped his chin thoughtfully. The time had come to hunt down his wayward chosen one. Now, what magic animal form could find her? Which one would she like best? Maybe the shark head... 

He looked down at Mini Maui who blinked into his own favorite. 

Yeah, why mess with the tried and true? He gripped the hook with both hands and called the magic forward, flashing into the best one. 

A massive hawk with fantastic hair spread its wings over the ocean and soared as gracefully as you please. He could see for miles. Several thousand years of navigating by sea and there wasn't a current of foamy whitecap that he didn't know like the back of his hand. It was the closest thing he had to home. 

Then again, a certain wayward chosen had claimed it for herself before she even knew how to sail. It was a good thing he didn't mind sharing. 

She was drifting steadily along a dubiously mindful slipstream- miles away from the island and anyone trying to keep her there. She certainly had no shortage friends to look out for her. 

Maui and his hook dropped onto the deck with a solid thunk but she didn’t even turn her head. Nor did she open her eyes when he sat next to her, gathering his post-flight crazy hair into a top knot. He closed his own eyes and inhaled deeply. There was no medicine in the world like the smell of the sea, and from the looks of it, Moana had been soaking it up like a pro. 

She sighed into the friendly quiet. “Thank you.” 

He smirked, his hallmark phrase locked and loaded. She cut him off before he could finish but when he glanced at her, she was smiling. 

The smile was short-lived. She sighed again. 

“Why are they doing this?” 

Her two well-meaning parents waved at him from his minds eye. He made a thoughtful face as he pondered them and blurted out the only word that seemed to fit. 

“Instinct.” 

There was barely enough moonlight for him to see her puckering face. 

"Huh?" 

He quickly elaborated, trying to sound playful. “Everything is about to change, Miss Mini-god. They might lose you. At least, they think so. Everyone needs something stable and for them, a village fits the bill.” 

She cast a dissatisfied glare at the rippling water around her ankles. “They still don't get me at all. " 

“Hey.” he poked her shoulder, chiding her very gently. “They just want you to stick around.” 

A sheepish look clouded her features and he could guess the (glaringly obvious) reason why. He could practically see the thought bubble floating over her head- the most pitiful of beginnings cruelly emblazoned on his back for the word to see, reminding them both of the things he'd never get a chance to take for granted. 

She turned her searching gaze on him, her voice low and earnest. “Are you saying I should stay?” 

What was he saying exactly? Mini-Maui looked up at him with his arms crossed, as if to say _We're trying to keep her, you idiot._

He studied her face. Her pleading eyes shone with sincerity in the starlight. Her day on the water had tangled her hair and matted it down. No trace of her hot temper remained but for the pink sunburn still glowing on her cheeks and shoulders. 

Something new and warm shot through his chest and caught in his throat. 

He pondered her for a long moment. “I’m saying you shouldn’t be mad at them, is all. I mean, I get it.” 

“Get what?”

“I wouldn’t wanna lose you, either.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well then. The fluff is just coming outta me like lava.
> 
> Also, thank you KAYCEE for voicing your (completely rightful) confusion. That chapter was a completely different story that I uploaded on accident. (I had just watched IT and was under the influence… of IT) I’m still mapping out that story. 
> 
> The next chapter wasn’t even ready yet and I am *furiously embarrassed* Anyway, here’s the real chapter. Voila!  
> As always, thanks for reading (especially as I learn the ropes of storytelling).


	5. Fireside

How was it possible to be this miserable this early in the morning? It wasn't right. Moana pursed her lips, standing at the head of the crowd. She regarded the lot of them. Traitors... 

In the meeting that would decide the future of the entire village, another hand was raised. Then another and another and another. The circle of hands seemed to waggle their fingers tauntingly at her, applauding her misery. With every vote cast, she wilted more. 

Things were looking grim for our master way-finder. It seems that Motunui had decided to stay put. Unanimously. 

Well… almost. The final vote was a single fist pointed at the ground and it stood alone, falling loose as her father called the majority against her. Just like that, she was sixteen again and her world was reduced to what it had once been- Motunui vs. Moana and her sailboat tunnel vision. What was she going to do? 

Not knowing where else to look, she pointed that tunnel vision at the tree line and zeroed in on her only friend standing there, looking absurdly concerned. 

_Not concerned enough_ , she thought. You can bet she'd be giving him all kinds of hell for pulling this god-forsaken island out of the sea in the first place. She pointed her forlorn gaze at her double-crossing parents who only smiled encouragingly. A pout was just waiting to break through what she hoped was still a stoic facade, so she shuffled away, wading through the thick disappointment to Maui. He straightened himself awkwardly and laid a large, sympathetic hand on her head. “Sorry, kid.”

She huffed the tousled hair from her face. “Yeah, yeah.” 

“Let's go...” he rumbled, squeezing her shoulders. She managed a tiny smile at that. His voice was doused in sympathy and he looked ready to carry her away at the first sign of her temper, but there was no time to jump in the water now. 

She groaned. “I wish, but we’ve gotta get to work.” 

“Awesome! Where do we start?” 

She blinked at him and at the hands still clasping her shoulders in absolute bewilderment. He was enthusiastic, eager and god knows what else- but why? The stubborn little Maui voice in the back of her mind gave her a shove. _Why not?_

Fine, she could go along with it but she was still upset. She pointed to a large area of branches, leaves and discarded coconut shells. "First, we need to clear that away." 

“Done.” 

Off he marched, like he'd been giving the most enviable task among them. Mini Maui bounced on his broad back, flexing his muscles to let her know, _We got this_ but big Maui wasn't moving at all anymore! He wasn't clearing a single thing, just standing there eyeballing the debris and spinning around. She didn't even try to hide her baffled face when he bowed his chest out and sucked in all the air his super-sized lungs could handle . 

Suddenly, a memory hit her. So, that's what he was up to... She grinned slyly, finally up to speed as every head in the village swung in their direction. Maui blasted all of that air out in a circle around him, blowing away every last piece of clutter and finishing the job in four (very noisy) seconds. 

He held out his arms and beamed at Moana, “ _Ta-DA!_ ” 

Moana threw her head back and let out a big belly laugh. 

Then she was hit with some inspiration of her own. She grabbed the hook he’d left at her side and dragged it toward him at a run. Excitement left her breathless. 

“We need more space to clear. Can you scare away anything in there?” She pointed at the dense jungle to their left. At least a dozen different bird songs emanated from the bushes and trees. 

Maui's grin widened, “Hang tight, curly.” 

He threw her onto his shoulders and grabbed his hook. They charged the underbrush with a fearsome battlecry that quickly dissolved into mirthful giggles, shaking the trees with their racket and scaring everything (and everyone) on the island in the process. 

All the excitement spurred on task after task and Maui didn't break a sweat. With each one, he grew more eager to please, single handedly lifting the melancholy weight off of Moana's heart. She'd all but forgotten it was there, living in the moment with him and his cheer. 

He never wavered, even when the rest of the heavy lifting fell on his shoulders. He didn't seem mind at all and he shouldn't have, being the only thing for miles with enough muscle to have ‘lassoed the sun’ on his resume. In any case, any guilt she would have felt at dumping the hard labor on him evaporated when he picked up an elephant-sized tree trunk like it was made of marshmallows and started toward the beach with a skip in his step. Moana chuckled at his eager face and the jovial song he'd been singing all day long. 

Neither of them noticed the complete lack of surrounding noise. 

The camp around them had gone still and quiet. No one saw the old man coming until his crooked finger tapped Maui on the shoulder and he jumped ten feet out of his skin. 

“What was that song?” he warbled, leaning on a knotted cane. 

Maui looked down at the shriveled, scrutinizing face and had a stroke. Moana could actually see the gears in his head clicking and whirring, trying to process the fact that someone in the village had actually spoken to him. Mini Maui fainted dead away. Trying very hard to keep her amusement in check, she shoved his shoulder and nodded some encouragement. This moment felt like it could be something special and her hopes were already pinned to its potential. 

Though she was the tiniest pillar of strength around, it seemed to give Maui the footing he needed. He shook the daze from his face, stuttering that he couldn’t remember it's name, he'd learned it so long ago. 

“I heard it once." the old man sighed. "When I was very small.”

Maui held his breath, standing on the outside edge of the tribe. All eyes were on him and the wrinkled hand that grasped his arm. The old man's ancient face lifted in a creaky smile.

"Would you teach it to me?" 

The speechless demigod could only nod as the village of Motunui pulled him in and embraced him. 

\---------

Moana passed in and out of the main campsite over and over again through the day. Each pass found her social butterfly buried under a new pile of questions or tugged in five different directions at once by his already adoring public. He was well-acquainted with most of the village in no time flat, working and joking and showing off for his new friends. 

Every merry laugh endeared him to another person on the island. 

When she finally ran out of steam, she followed the sound of Maui's snickering to the fire that was drawing everyone to the center of the village. He sat with pride as a part of the circle, surrounded on all sides by new friends, his enormous body draped in loud, curious children. Tiny fingers poked at Mini Maui wherever he tried to hide, jumping in and out of the legendary stories- sparking a thousand different questions for each one. 

All eyes and ears were hanging on his every word as he did what he does best. Brag. 

“What about this one, Maui?” one squeaky voice asked. 

The strutting peacock flexed moving tattoo on his back. “That’s Tamatoa, the giant, ugly monster crab!" 

Every embellishment he could think of was sprinkled onto the age-old story. Moana made sure to roll her eyes at every single one. A chorus of ooo’s and aaah’s rose from his new devotees at the end, with many nods of sympathy given to the memory of his lost hook.

A different squeak piped up, “How’d you get it back, Maui?”

“I didn’t.” he shrugged one shoulder and pointed right at Moana, “She did.”

Everyone’s jaw dropped. Including Moana’s. 

“A thousand years on Tamatoa's back had messed with the magic and besides...” his eyebrows flew up and his voice dropped a few octaves, “He'd gotten bigger!" 

Moana donned her best dramatic voice and added her own special flare to the show- it felt a little sleazy but she couldn't resist joining the fun. "Things weren't looking good for our hero...”

Maui threw a wink at her, “Lucky for him, a stubborn, curly-haired, _non_ princess had followed him down into Lolotai."

Several gasps rippled through the circle. Their resident heroes took turns with the daring tale and only broke into an argument once, ending on the giant crabs last ditch effort to grab them as they were blasted to the sky. Delighted screams erupted as children scattered in every direction to escape Maui's pinching claws. The tiny little voices began to argue in an adorable scenario that must have come right out of a certain hero's fever dreams. 

“Maui’s MY hero!” 

“No... MINE!” 

"Mine!!"

The fighting escalated but Maui made no move to intervene. They were too emphatic to be reasoned with, anyway. Moana looked at him over the crowed of children, fully expecting to see a disgustingly vainglorious expression smeared across his face. Maybe he'd go on one of his special tangents. 

_No need to fight, people. Maui is a hero to all._

She was 100% sure this was his hero dream come true. It had to be.. 

She wasn't wrong.

Taking in the expression that _was_ on his face, her heart skipped a beat. He was watching all of them, each face in the circle and each child vying so desperately for his attention. His eyes were shining with a light that had nothing to do with the fire between them as he soaked it all in- the very thing he'd been trying to earn for his entire, immortal life. 

Acceptance. 

He leaned down very gently when a small girl tugged a lock of his hair. 

“Who’s your hero, Maui?”

Moana got goosebumps when his eyes shot straight to her. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What's that sound? My fanfiction teakettle is whistling-
> 
> Slow burnnnnn  
> Mutual respectttttt  
> Love based in friendshippppppp
> 
>  
> 
> Damn, I make some good tea.


	6. Calm Before

Indispensable was the word of the day and it was pinned to Maui’s new lava lava. 

A vibrant green pattern finally replaced the tired, old leaves he had strung together a thousand years before. He couldn’t remember the last time he possessed an actual piece of clothing. This one was the first gift he’d ever received from a mortal and his second gift at all. 

And when Moana’s mother passed the folded cloth into his hands and told him exactly what it was thanks for, he (accidentally) laughed in her face. 

_Protecting her? Yeah, right._ Who protected who, exactly? Moana had saved his sorry butt two or three times before he ever got the chance to return the favor, and as he accepted the touching gift from her mother, he may have been a little too eager to share it. 

While obviously amused, Sina did not look the least bit surprised. 

“Consider it thanks for being such a help around here, then.” she had said, patting his shoulder approvingly. Then, she leaned in with a whisper, “And for making her so happy.” 

She’d left him there like that, opened mouthed and gawking. Maui swallowed the casual statement and it proceeded to splash into the churning pot of uncharted territory that had been brewing in his stomach for a week. 

“What did she say?” he asked Mini Maui. The infuriating ink spot only crossed his arms and smirked.

Oh well, it’s not like he hadn’t heard her well enough for the words to rattle around in his head for days after, like some sort of anxiety maraca. They ricochet’d back and forth in his mind, bouncing off of every abandoned instinct nestled in the dark, forgotten corners of his brain. 

Instinct had always been both parents to Maui, guiding him well enough through the great unknown. He had to admit though, it was sort of thrilling to experience some of them for the first time, urges and compulsions he had no name for, even as old as he was. A few strong and very human instincts rang the loudest in his ears these days and they rang louder with each tree he carved into a post, each hut he raised, and each night around the fire among the warm people returning his ardent embrace tenfold. 

A shining red thread bound it all together- tying his happiness directly to it’s source. It glowed with infinite warmth and beat in time with the heart at it’s root, cradled in her chest. 

Neglected as it was, he knew very well what kind of instinct was pulling that thread tighter by the day, even without her mother’s 'subtle' reminders. 

Was she really happy? He definitely was. 

He took a deep breath at the top of the islands tallest mountain, where he’d gone for some alone time. The air was clean and bright and it… tingled. He rose to his feet and threw his hook over his shoulder. He’d better get back to the village before the storm came. It felt like a big one. 

——

Moana wiped another trail of tears from her blotchy, puffy cheeks. The water was as still as glass and stretched as far as her eye could see in every direction- one big, flat shoulder for her ridiculous outpouring. The Motunui vice grip on her heart was squeezing out every tear she had and she couldn’t find the off switch.

This was one of those times when the cagey, hostage feelings overwhelmed her and she had to slink out of the islands sight. 

It had been exactly two weeks, three days, 35 minutes and 57 seconds (or something like that) since they had run aground on her new.. what was the word? Oh yes, prison. 

She didn’t mean to be so bleak. At least, she tried not to be. Every now and then there were times when her optimism broke through that gray wall of abysmal gloom. And when that happened, she tried to remind herself that life wasn’t all that bad. But then she’d remember how the entire village had abandoned her for a floating pile of dirt and that gray wall would stretch a foot higher. 

The splinter of betrayal was lodged in an old crevice of her heart that never fully healed. The past couple of years on the water, she had been so, so sure that this was something everyone wanted. It made that stubborn desire for the unknown go from what made her an outcast to something they all shared. Never in her wildest dreams did she expect to start at square one again and it was depressing the hell out of her. 

She couldn’t even bear to sail anymore, except for when she entertained a small mental breakdown. Like now. She’d throw some excuse down to whoever was listening and run for her life. 

Though, lately her excuses were more often going to Maui. She'd rather die than tear him away from his newfound happy place (or make him feel bad for wanting to stay there). Not that it mattered much anymore. The farther she sailed, the farther the island reached out with it’s long, bony fingers to drag her back and stick her in the sand more firmly than before. 

She hoped with all of her heart that Maui liked them enough to stay for a while longer- being stuck in the sand was only half-bearable when her best friend was there to make it better. 

Our lonesome, forgotten chosen one leaned her forehead on her knobby knees and tried to focused on the planks beneath her calloused feet. The only sounds she heard were the soft hiccups that came after uncontrollable sobbing. 

She couldn’t hear the dark clouds above her, rolling over the early morning stars, crackling with dormant power. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OH MY. 
> 
> Loving Mature!Maui. Nothing makes a guy grow up like truly caring about someone. OOPS, have I said too much?


	7. Oh, Crap

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: Some strong language.

The soft crunch of dirt under foot was swallowed right up by the howling wind before any ear could catch it. 

The entire village was marching along the central path, headed for its lone meeting fale which stood, unmoving, against the storm bearing down on them. It had been raised by someone who’s tastes ran on the larger side of things- something everyone was thankful for today, on the darkest morning many of them had ever seen. The only time you could see farther than the end of your nose was when a flash of electricity cracked overhead.

No one even batted an eye at the muscled bundle of tattoos and magic bouncing up, down and around their chorus line. Deft fingers secured any loose end they found in that half-baked village. 

Maui huffed a stray curl out of his eyes as he tied down a thatched roof that was trying to escape. Mini Maui would have been blown clean away if he wasn’t inked down. The matching hawk on his shoulder was flapping its wings, restlessly.

Truth be told, a birds eye view would have been way better for this, but no bird of any size stood a chance against this kind of power and he wasn’t stupid. The trees around him cracked and groaned under the onslaught to back him up. 

Still… he mused. Might not be a bad idea to grab the hook anyway, just in case. The muscles in his arm twitched with anticipation as he flexed his empty fingers. Now, where had he left that thing?

A string of firebolts lit the sky in quick succession across the low hanging clouds, ready to bust open any second now. He didn't have much time. 

Maui tied off that last roof, then leapt on top of it. He strained his eyes against the wind, trying to see the hut at the end of the path where he'd left his hook. There was a flickering ring of light around the edges of its billowing tapa cloth, blinking as a busy shadow crossed back and forth inside. 

A smile spread across his windburned face. It looked like he’d be able to grab two birds with one stone. He loved being efficient. 

One more jump and he landed at the door, still smiling against the wind. After spending a morning almost blind, he was looking forward to her sunny face lighting up the rest of his day. His rough hand caught the fluttering tapa and pushed it to one side only to find… someone else. 

Her mother smiled warmly at his confused frown. Her arms were full of last minute packing, obviously prepared for the wind to carry the entire hut away. 

Maui’s frown deepened as his brain ran through every face that had passed him going into the shelter. One very important face was missing. 

“Where’s Moana?” he asked, heart sinking. 

Her mothers face immediately fell, “She’s not with you..?” 

Maui shot out of the hut at a thousand miles an hour as they both realized in the same instant that they knew exactly where she was. He grabbed his hook and headed for the beach. 

He’d never run so fast. 

The first of the rain pelted his face like shards of glass as he raced faster still, praying to all the gods that he was wrong about her for once- that their canoe was grounded in the sand and she was taking cover under it. 

He gripped his hook tighter, though it was all but useless in this devil storm. There was literally nothing he could change into that wouldn’t croak under these conditions.

He felt like he was moving in slow motion when he finally dug his feet into the sand and braced himself against the incredible gale at the edge of the open ocean. He squinted down the beach for any sign of her and fully gave in to panic when he saw none. 

Waves that could shatter a person (or a magic shark) were crashing violently onto the sand. The canoe was gone. 

And he was officially out of time. 

Without another thought, Maui let out a monstrous bellow as he flashed his mighty hook and exploded into the sky, taking his chances against the wind. 

——

Crap.

Crap. 

Crap. 

Moana ducked just in time to avoid the swinging mainsail. 

She’d never seen anything like this in her entire life (not that she could see anything at the moment) and she was starting to think this would be the last thing she ever did see. It was like the squall in her woeful little heart had called forth this beast of a storm to give her one hell of a perspective change.

The wild motion of the angry sea shook the brains in her head like a mixer.

She’d lost her oar an hour ago and was honestly surprised she hadn’t lost an arm with it. Now, she fumbled around for the stay that had been yanked out of her grasp (again), empty handed and blind. The sky, the air, the water.. everything was inky black, except for the foamy punches hitting her face. Those were grey. 

Every bolt of lightning struck closer and closer to her tiny craft like it was a magnet. The bright flashes dazzled her eyes and made everything even blacker than before.

Ah! Finally! 

Her hand closed around the flailing rope and she pulled it toward her, lurching forward as the canoe picked up speed and height, almost completely vertical on another mountainous wave. The rope was turning red where she gripped it. Everything stung with searing pain. 

‘Demi-god of way finding… demi-god, my butt.’, she thought ruefully, over and over again.

Moana had enough brains to know that she probably wasn’t going to survive this. No way was anyone coming for her mortal butt in this chaos. 

Then again, that same thing was also giving her giddy relief that this ongoing, torturous decision had been wrenched from her hands and thrown into the ocean- even if it was an ocean she didn’t recognize. An ocean that wouldn’t answer her calls for help. 

_The ocean doesn’t help you. You help yourself._ Her inner-Maui voice barked at her.

An electric streak cracked the surface of the water wide open, just beyond the bow, and sent sparks dancing across her skin. 

It was the smallest of favors that he wasn’t seeing her like this- scrambling for survival and failing so miserably. Just then, a dreadful ripping sound tore through the air as a single, forceful punch severed one half of the sail from the other. 

Another burst of light revealed the split flapping away as the canoe dipped again into the roiling surge, tossing the last of her hope overboard. 

Squeezing her eyes shut against the chaos around her, she let the violent spray wash the tears from her battered face and finally gave in to dramatics.

Goodbye, Mom. Goodbye, Dad. 

Goodbye, Maui. Another sob wracked her worn-out body as her heart called out to him. 

Moana was wrapped around the outrigger boom tighter than the ropes, feeling like the waves were trying to break her into little pieces for the fish, when she felt something much denser (and heavier) slam onto the deck and skid to the stern, panting heavily and holding a hook. 

Her bleary eyes couldn’t see much but she could hear the harsh coughing and the loud protest as he tried to stand. 

“Moana!” 

She heard her name on that blessedly familiar voice and hope crashed into her face with the next wave. She spit away the brine and cried out, actually smiling. 

“Maui!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No one is ever a match for the heightened fury of mother nature, not even a demi-god. 
> 
> Stay tuned, y'all. 
> 
> As always, thanks for reading.


	8. Natural Instinct

This nightmare storm was turning into one big, violent ball of vengeful electricity- with a personal grudge against Moana. She had never been this scared, not even in her (very scary) first storm, clinging to an overturned canoe that knocked her unconscious.

The strobing light made it impossible for her swollen eyes to focus on anything around her, least of all the new fighter in the ring. She blinked through the spray and saw him on his knees, his shoulders heaving with the effort and his mouth open- yelling something she couldn’t hear over the deafening crack overhead. The next flash, Maui was hauling himself to his feet with that legendary hook, already reaching for her. 

The bow of the canoe heaved to the side with Maui’s immense poundage- yes, the darling idiot had actually made things worse. But when she looked at his wide, worried face.. something very primal growled in her heart. 

She wasn't about to let him die out here. If they were going to survive this, she had to move. Now. 

“Where are you going?!” Maui hollered over the wind. She didn’t even look up from her valiant belly crawl across the deck. She was too busy spitting sea water from her chapped lips every time a new wave swept her back to the start. Apparently, she couldn't move a muscle in this storm without a fight. 

_Focus._ she yelled at herself and shot forward again, still hanging on for dear life. This was getting so old. 

At last she clawed her way up, flipped the storage lid and fumbled around in the soggy space until her fingers closed around the tools she so desperately needed. Biting down too hard on this treasure, eyes wild, she raced the lightning to the mast, the rough waves still trying their best to knock everything out of her mouth (including her teeth). 

Then with a quick shimmy up the mast, she threaded the needle as best she could in the dark. She got nowhere fast as the sail was yanked from her hands again and again.

“I. Can’t. SEE.” she roared, less than a quarter of the way down the tear. 

Maui caught on fast. “I got ya, Mo!”

And suddenly, she could see! For about five seconds. 

His cry of effort rang out as a second bolt struck the glowing curve of his hook, raised high above his unruly curls, sending sparks down every rune. She worked in the space of a thousand flashes, as fast as they were bright and as long as he was able to hold them. The waves, the wind, the blackened sky- they wouldn't take her today. 

And they wouldn’t take him. 

The next bolt of light couldn’t outshine Maui’s victory smile and his triumphant fist in the air, as Moana bit off the end of the string. Her returning smile and shout filled the sail with the wind, propelling them forward faster than ever before.

The next lightning bolt hit her square in the shoulder and knocked her down. Shear agony was the last thing to pierce her fading consciousness as her limp body fell from the mast and onto the deck with a flat thud.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Didn't think the storm had passed did you? Remember, it always gets worse before it gets better. 
> 
> *evil laugh*
> 
> As always, thanks for reading.  
> (And some special love to my reviewing friends, and to the wonderful feedback and Princess Bride gifs they leave.)  
> (Talk about a direct line to my heart.)


	9. Struck

The tempest raged on. It reached out in all directions, demanding to be seen, to be heard, to be felt. 

But Maui couldn’t see it. He couldn’t hear it. He couldn’t feel it. 

Maui’s world had stopped. 

A single blow had knocked the air from his lungs and brought the fearsome legend to his knees on that godforsaken canoe. One agonizing thought had him by the throat, choking the life out of him. 

Not her. 

Anyone but her. Take his hook- take his _life_ \- but please don’t take her. 

Moana hung limply in his arm, her eyes closed in the darkness. No sound reached the ear he pressed to her chest. 

No heartbeat. 

No breath.

Nothing. 

What had he done? What had he _done_?

The blessed, red thread wrapped so tightly around his heart, thrumming so happily, had gone still. 

From one heartbeat to the next, it turned into a fuse, glowing at the tip as pure, unflinching rage burned all the way down to his shattered core. The grip on his hook tightened and his resounding glare sent a shockwave through the tumult.

He barely registered the sting of saltwater as he gently laid Moana back down on the deck, bent and broken as his anguished heart. His sharp gaze pierced the roiling, angry sky and his smile was as dark as the clouds. 

He could use this. There was still time. 

Maui turned the hook over in his hands once. Twice. 

It's carvings pulsed with familiar magic, lighting his grim expression and his stolid resolve. She might never forgive him, but he had no other choice. 

The blackened clouds above his head crackled with anticipation. They gathered tightly over the rocking craft. The wind was gaining speed, whipping his unruly hair around his pinched face, but he closed his eyes against it all and focused. Quiet, calm, deep within himself. 

Then, Maui raised his glowing fish hook high above his head and _roared_. 

Before he could take his next breath, a massive bolt of lightning struck the curve, burning sparks down to it’s hilt. It forced him back on the slick wood but he held fast until the tip began to glow brighter, brighter… brighter! 

‘Yes!’ he rejoiced. ‘Just a little more…!’

The hook was groaning under the fierce pressure but still, Maui held his ground. 

A small, sparking crack appeared on it’s curve. Then another… 

Violet light replaced blue and he grit his teeth. It would have to be enough. 

At the last possible moment, Maui cried out and flung the beam forward with all of his strength. It surged on and hit Moana’s motionless form, striking the center of her chest, her whole body seizing violently. 

He grinned. Bullseye.

The crackling vortex, guided by the straining hook, became a vacuum- sucking the dark clouds and all of their churning elements into the swirling maelstrom and then straight into her. Her tiny frame swallowed it all, arching and vibrating with energy. 

The light was blinding. 

The sky began to brighten as the dark clouds were funneled into her, their new vessel, threaded through the streak of lightning and soaked with any wave that dared to meet it. 

Every drop of rain was sucked away. 

One final burst of power shot across the ocean as the vein was finally severed, the connection broken, the storm spent. Maui’s ruined hook lay smoldering on the deck while a single plume of smoke rose languidly from Moana’s crumpled body. She sparked and twitched with residual fire. 

Exhausted and heaving, Maui gathered the last of his strength and pulled himself to her. 

“Tell me I made it…” he begged, dragging his battered body across the quiet canoe.

Finally he lay beside her. She was so small…

He slipped his hand behind her head and brought it forward in an aggressive, almost desperate, hongī.

Small, feather-light puffs of breath hit his face, and his relieved, delirious laugh hit hers. 

Alive! 

She was alive! 

Breathing, living, ALIVE! 

Tears came unbidden, prickling at the corners of his eyes, glinting brightly with warm, evening light. The untroubled sea lapped against the worn out craft. In this healing calm, the sound of her steadily beating heart vibrated in his waiting ears like rolling thunder, restarting his own. 

He sat up, still laughing, and pulled her into his lap. His tired arms enveloped her, unwilling to surrender his prize ever again. His hand on her cheek, he gently lifted her face and pressed their foreheads together once more, completely oblivious to the fact that the treasure in his arms was starting to wake up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SHE LIVES!!!! I love lightning. Like jumper cables to a car battery, plus a dash extra. 
> 
> This one took a month to hammer into a fine point. I hope it was at least kind of worth the wait.  
> Only one more to go! EEEEE!
> 
> As always, thanks for reading.


	10. Where You Go

Consciousness came slowly. Sluggishly. 

The fog in her brain was thick and dense, it’s cold, damp fingers holding her eyes shut against all the effort it was taking to wake up. 

For a while, things were so fuzzy that Moana didn’t know she was awake at all. But then, the most wonderful sound in the whole world trickled through the silent mist like an ocean bird. She knew it in a second. 

Maui was laughing. 

It brought a smile to her numb face. At least, she hoped she was smiling. It’s hard to tell what your face is doing when you’re floating in consciousness limbo. At the moment, the only thing that could be trusted was the laugh she heard, so she listened with eager ears. The rich sound warmed her from the top of her tangled head down to the tips of her aching toes. She wiggled them, glad she was starting to feel something again. 

The aches and pains only multiplied as her senses came back online, one by one, but her attention was focused on another sound reaching for her now. 

Its familiar, wet, rippling chime was as soft as a lullaby. It washed away the remaining fog with an easy hand like the old friend she remembered, leaving a surprisingly pleasant exhaustion in its wake. It rocked her to and fro like a sleepy child, making her feel safer still. She hadn’t realized she was _this_ tired. It was probably time to try and open her eyes but they were suddenly so heavy. Just a few more minutes wouldn’t hurt anyone…

Then, something warm and solid pressed against her forehead, calling Moana back to the world that was awake. 

It was gentle, tender. Loving.

Who…? 

_Oh!_

She managed to pry one sleepy eye open and, sure enough, the first thing that came into focus was Maui’s great, big, happy face exactly zero inches from her own, shining like the stupid sun. 

Moana’s heart sputtered and died for the second time that day. 

“Hey, curly!” he hollered at full volume into her blinking face, “Welcome back!”

“Hi..” she groaned and slammed her eyes shut again. He was way too bright and way too loud and the evening sun was peaking out from behind his big head, making things even worse. Her own voice was raspy and hoarse as she croaked out, “What happened?” 

Almost as soon as the question left her mouth, a single bolt of lightning struck through her clogged memory. She tensed with remembered panic, but only for a moment because she couldn’t hear or feel a single trace of the earsplitting chaos she was sure she’d left behind. 

Two massive arms tightened around her. _Relax_ , they said. _You’re safe._

Maui’s rumbling voice pulled her attention back the rest of the way, “It’s over, Mo. We made it.” 

What? _How?_

Moana was too dumb-founded to speak and shockingly, their unexpected survival was only one of several reasons why. The most pressing one being where she was currently sitting- curled up, pretty as you please, in Maui’s lap. His _lap_. She’d certainly never been there before and here he was acting like it was the most natural thing in the world- at this very moment giving her a look that said, _Well, where else would you be?_

Yet, as she quietly palpitated over this, his countenance changed again. That expression- so serious.. Always a weird fit on his rounded features. He was just looking, no- _gazing_ at her with the same intensity that marked everything else he ever did, invading every speck of her personal space as only Maui knew how. 

Come to think of it, Maui only got this jarringly invasive when he had something serious to say. Judging from the way the tip of his nose grazed hers, this must be something really big. She could feel it waiting just beneath the surface and it was making her heart pound. 

Maui finally tore his eyes away and sighed. 

She gulped, barely breathing.

He opened his mouth and….

“Moana, I did something.”

Yikes.

Looking at the wilting state he was in, Moana took stock of her options. Remorse was plastered all over his pitiful face so she knew she had to choose her next words carefully, or at least say them carefully. One wrong word and he’d probably throw himself off the canoe. 

She sighed and closed her eyes, taking their proximity in stride and bumping her forehead affectionately against his. In a tone as kind as she could make it, she dared to ask the million dollar question: “What exactly did you do?”

Maui sighed back and physically braced himself, lifting his head, running a hand through his curls, already rambling, “First of all, I think it’s important that we acknowledge that you are no longer dead.” 

Her eyes popped open and the Maui-consideration train came to a screeching halt as she processed only one word in that whole sentence. Did he say dead? 

He cleared his throat awkwardly and blathered on, “So, you were a regular mortal, right? And-“

_“Were?”_

“-and mortals tend to, you know, _die_. So… I… might have made you… not… mortal.” 

He finished on a spectacular grimace and waited. It looked like he was waiting for a punch to the face but truth be told, she was still outstandingly calm, all things considered. Even if she didn’t look it. (Her eyes were as wide as the sun.) 

“A demi-god?” she asked Maui evenly. 

“A demi-god.” 

“Immortal?”

“Immortal.”

And there it was. 

The choice of a lifetime- of a thousand lifetimes… gone. No wonder he looked so sorry. 

That sorry look then glanced away and she couldn’t help but follow his guilty eyes down, only to stare in open-mouthed shock at her roasted shoulder. 

The sharp pains emanating from this new decoration blended in pretty smoothly with the rest of the general throbbing in her bones, so who knows when she would have noticed it. But still, how did she miss that?! The burn was _huge_. And… intricate. 

Moana silently inspected the charred, striated pattern winding from her back to her front. There was gonna be some spectacular scarring later on. It actually looked like her hawk tattoo was shooting electricity from its wing, branching out with more than a dozen fingers across the shoulder, then joining into a single point again over her scorched heart. A different mark sat there, this one shaped like a giant star. 

She could’ve sworn she saw bright, residual sparks glinting around them.

Her mouth opened, ready to fire off another (necessary) round of questioning but a flicker of movement caught her eye and her glance shot over to what remained of the legendary fish hook at the other end of the deck. Faint tendrils of smoke rose from the fatal crack running down it’s length. 

Oh… 

So that’s what happened. 

Her eyes fell closed, finally understanding clearly. For a long, quiet moment, all the newborn demigod could do was stare at her hands, folded nervously across her stomach. 

Still blistered. Still hers. 

The breeze sighed with her, rustling her brittle, salty hair. Her heart beat on, steadily as ever. The impending freak out was definitely running late. Moana was quite sure she should be having the anxiety attack of the century- heart pounding, sweat beading… no longer standing over the great, fearful chasm of eternity but falling permanently through it’s never-ending passage, screaming all the way down. 

Except, that wasn’t quite right. She wasn’t falling at all. She was safe and warm and still. The rest of time wasn’t flying past her scared, lonely face at a million miles an hour- no, it was holding her. Tenderly. Like she was made of gold. 

Moana of Motunui, demigod of wayfinding (and storms, probably) looked up into the big, bright, beautiful face of the dearest person in her life and wondered how she could have ever thought she’d be alone. 

“Are you mad?” he blurted, looking so lost it nearly broke her heart. 

Mad? _Really?_ Moana was absolutely positive the emotional stew in her brain was going to explode out of her in a big, ugly mess if she so much as opened her mouth, so she kept it good and shut. 

“You gotta say something, Mo.” 

Loaded tears pricked at the corners of her eyes. 

“Anything.” he pleaded. 

Words failed, so she threw her arms around him.

Relief. Happiness. So much gratitude. Love… all of it poured out of her heart in an infinite stream. 

That same joyful little heart proceeded to leap right out of her when Maui buried his face in her hair, clutched her tightly to his chest and returned every single one. 

————————————————————————————————

 

_One week later…_

 

Moana let out a yelp and gasped when the gargantuan hand threw her off the canoe- something that would have been way less cringeworthy if they were actually in the water and not still moored on the beach, hanging over a few measly inches of foamy surf.

The decidedly unrepentant culprit shouted over the splash. “You gonna snap out of it or what?” 

Moana was too busy rubbing the saltwater and shock from her sputtering face to do anything but wish ardently for a stick to throw at his big, fat head. She settled for a seashell. It whizzed right past him, ineffective. 

Her eyes crackled with fire, “Snap out of _what_ , you stupid, crazy, son of a-“

“There she is.” Maui beamed fondly, chin propped lazily in his hand. He raised an expectant eyebrow at her and waited. She could have punched that expectant eyebrow right off of his face and no one would have thought it strange but she only took a deep breath and pushed it back out through her nose. 

She _had_ been acting strange all week, but only now did she feel stupid for even thinking she could hide it. Of course he’d noticed. 

She gave the shallow water a resigned, frustrated smack. 

“Fine.”

And only after another loaded pause did she dare to ask, out loud, the question that was weighing her heart down like a lava rock, burning a hole on the tip of her tongue, torturing her all week long. Another deep breath for good luck and…

“Maui… do you want to stay here?” 

Her voice was almost too soft to hear but he caught it and a flash of surprise crossed his face. 

She sighed and looked away, down at the tiny fish inspecting her toes in the surf. She couldn’t blame him- there were certainly better moments to bring this up than the day they were supposed to leave. 

“It’s just… you love it here. They all love you, too. How can I ask you to leave, when-?” She hung her head as a sniff betrayed her. “I just can’t.”

He snorted. “Why does that matter?” 

Moana blinked, taken aback by his surprising answer. ..Not exactly what she wanted to hear for all her pains. It only took two more seconds for her to bridle against it, eyes flashing defensively, “Excuse me?”

Maui huffed but extended his hand to her, using a much more gentle tone to smooth her ruffled feathers. 

“Let me ask you something, Curly.” 

“What?” she grumbled, letting him haul her back onto the deck. They sat side by side once again, only one dry.

He nodded toward the open ocean still calling out to her. “When you’re out there,” he asked, “is there any less love between you?” He glanced back at her, “Are you any less a part of Motunui?”

She looked at him like he’d lost his mind. What kind of questions were those? And when did he get so philosophical? “Um, no…?”

He gave her a pointed look. “Am I?” 

Oh. 

“No.” 

She sounded much more sheepish than she wanted to but when she looked up again, the grin on his face was a smug one. 

“Then I guess it doesn’t matter.” 

Hands on her hips, she managed to return it with some added sass of her own, “I guess not.” 

Still, the smile on her face didn't quite hide the tiniest inkling of guilt that still had a small foothold in her heart- sure enough, he noticed that too. This go round, he wasted no time fixing things. 

Moana jumped when she heard the splash, suddenly face to face with the much-older demigod in a rare moment of unyielding firmness. His hands planted themselves solidly on either side of her soggy self as he leaned in incredibly (and predictably) close yet again. Honestly, he could do this a thousand more times and she would still find herself frozen in a rictus of anxiety every time he did. 

The sly tilt to his smile was also just dancing on her nerves. He was so close now, she was sure he could see the thoughts in her mind that were racing around in a panic behind her eyes.

“Listen up, Buttercup, ‘cause I’m only gonna say this one more time.”

Maui's voice rumbled low and hard. 

“Where _you_ go... _I_ go.” 

Their noses touched. 

“Do you understand?”

Man, he had a great smile. Trying very hard not to look starry-eyed, she finally managed to nod. “Okay...”

She went starry-eyed, anyway. It really couldn't be helped. He reached over to grab the oar that had been lying beside them. He brandished it with a twirl and held it out for her.

“Alright, then.” he grinned. “Let’s go.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *cries*
> 
> I can't believe it's over. 
> 
> I hope you'll forgive the long wait- this was my first conclusion (ever) and I wanted to treat it with respect. I hope I was able to do it justice and give you at least some satisfaction (and fanservice, let's be honest). 
> 
> My writing motto is becoming: Given 'em hell, then give 'em everything they've ever wanted.
> 
> The past 6 months have been so much fun with all of us together (Maui and Moana included) and there aren't strong enough words for what a fantastic writing experience this has been. 
> 
> To all of you reading, and especially my besties who review- from the bottom of my heart, thank you. This was so much fun because of you. 
> 
> On to the next FF adventure :) See you there, peeps! 
> 
> As always, thanks for reading.


End file.
